Partitioning device for railroad-cars.



No. 633,835. Eatented' s'ep-ti: 26, 1.8.99.

W. H. GUMMERE. PA'B IIIJ-ONING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD CARS.

(Application flled June 24, 13955.) '(NO Model.)

2 Sheets-Shoat L' INVENTOH Patented Spt. 2.6, 1899. w. H. GUMMEBE.

PABTITI'IONINGDEVI-CE FOR RAILROAD CARS.

v I (Application filed June 24, 1899.) (No Model.) V I 2 Shuts-Sheet v. IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Illilllll v THE Norms Ferns co. mm'ou'ma. wXsumorcu. o. c.

(UNITED FATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I'IENR'Y GUMMERE, OF SQUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

PARTITI'O N'lNG BEV lCEFOR RAlLROAD-CARS.

I SPECIFIGATIOKfOrmnig part of Letters PatentNo. 633,835, dated September 26, 1899.

I Application filedw lllid 24, 18 9.9. Serial No. 7214702. (No model.)

To all whont itlntcty concern: Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY GUM-- MERE, of South Bethlehem, in. the county of Northampton andState of Pennsylvanimhave invented a new and Improved Partitioning Device for Railroad-Cars, of which the following is afnll, clear, and exact description. 1

The invention relates to railroad, express, baggage, and freight cars; and its object is to providea new and improved. partitioning device forformingin a car a separate space for the use of the Government to sately'carry packages'in. bond from one place to another,

the device when not in place for the purpose mentioned permitting the free andifulli use of the entire car by an express or railroad company.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinationsof the same, aswill be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

. ing track-rails B, on which arefmounted' to frames rigidly connected with'achcther by v a cross-beam D, as is plainly indicated in the I r rewins is-secured a transversely-extending rod- E, on .Whl"(3h is mounted to turn a roller F, carrying I A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a crosssectiiono'f a car provided with the improvement; Fig. 2 is a longitudi nal section of the same on'the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3'is an enlarged: sectional side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same with-parts broken out. Fig. 5 is. a transverse section of the same on the line '5' 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation of the upper locking device. Fig. 7 is a'sectionalside elevation of the same on the line '7 7 in Fig. 6'. Fig. 8 is a sectional plan View of the same on the line 8 8 in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is anenlarged sectional side elevationof the lower locking device, and Fig. 10 is. an edgeview of the same.

The car'A, in which the imp used, is of anyapproved construction and is provided in its interior at the si'desand near the clearstory A with longitudinally-extend travel wheeled-carriages 0, {having their In the ends or; the-cross-beam- D a flexible partition G, extending transversely in the car'from one side to the other,"so as to separate the interior of the car into two compartments, one of which is to be used by the Government for carrying bonded packages and. the other may be used by an express 0r railroad company for other business.

, Thepart-ition G" is formed of flexible strips G6, of leather or like material, and cross-bars G secured to the strips G, are placed a suitable distance apart, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1. The flexible strips G are attached at their upper ends to pins G held in lugs F, formed on the roller F, and the lowermost cross-bar G" of the partition is engaged near.

its ends by a set of locking devices H, connected with the floor A of the car, so as to securely hold the partition in place after the carriage Qwith the partition ,has been shifted lengthwise in the car to the desired place to form a compartment'of a desired size, according to the needs of the Government.

The cross-beam D is also adapted to be locked in place after the carriages C have been moved to the desired position by the use of locking devices I, carried on a grate J, rigidly. secured to the clearstoryA"o t thecar, it being understood that several such grates J: are arranged transversely in the car at different. places throughout the length of the rails B to permit of completely separating the two compartments from each other both in the body of the car and in the clearstory A. It isunderstood that a set of locking devices Hi'are located directly opposite a grate J, so that the partition-G is in complete alinenient with the corresponding grateJ when the device is used and securely fastened in place.

member H, straddling the lower cross-bar G v 7 and held in place thereon by a bolt H exrovement is tending above the cross-bar, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 9,. The lower end of the member H is'pivoted on-a bolt H bolted to the bottom A of the car.

When it is desired to disconnect the looking devices from the partitiomit is only necessary to re move the bolt I-l to'un'lock the bar G from thememberll'.

I Each of the locking devices I is provided. with a transversely-extending member l, riveted or otherwise fastened toa vertical bar J of the grate J', (see Figs. (3, 7, and 8,) and in the said member I is arranged a pivot I? for a vertical member 1 arranged to straddle a cross-bar J of the grate and the cross beam D, connecting the carriages G with each other. Abolt I is held in the free end of'the member I under the cross-beam D, so that when the bolt is in position the cross-beam, and consequently the carriage, with the parts carried thereby, is held against movement on the rails 13. Each of thecarriages O is also adapted to belockcd to the corresponding rail B by a transverse pin 0, held on a chain 0 carried by the frame of the carriage, the pin 0 extending through registeringapertures in the carriage and the rail B, as is plainly shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

When the locking devices H are disconnected from the cross-bar G of the flexible partition G, then the latter maybe wound up on the roller F to form an unobstructed clear space in the body of the car at the time the Government is not making use of its c0mpart-.

ment for the purpose mentioned, so that the entire car-body can be utilized by the express or railroad company.

In order to conveniently turn the roller F for winding up the flexible partition G, I provide one end of said roller with a sprocketwheel K, engaged by a sprocket-chain K, dangling downward from the side of the car,

so as to be within convenient reach of the operator, and hence when theoperator pulls on one run of said chain a rotary motion is given to said sprocket-wheel and to the roller F, so as to wind up the partition G. On one face of the sprocket-wheel K is secured or formed a ratchet -wheel L, engaged by a weighted pawl L, fulcrumed 011 the corresponding carriage O, to lock said ratchetwheel, and consequently the sprocket-wheel K and roller F, against return movement.

The ratchet-wheel pawl L is under the control of the operator, and for this purpose is provided with a downwardly-extending rope L which when pulled by the operator swings the pawl L out of mesh with the ratchetwheel to allow turning of the wheel K and roller F to unwind the flexible partition G, so as to again extend the same transversely in the car from the clearstory to within a short distance of the bottom to divide thecar into two compartments, as previously described.

the car or at the middle thereof, and in the latter case the car is preferably provided with two sets of doors to give the proper authorities access to each compartment.

The track-rails B, as shown in Fig. 2, are preferably curved up at the ends, so as to form stops for the carriage when the latter is moved into an end position on said track-rails.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A railroad-car provided in its interior with'an overhead longitudinally-extending track, carriages mounted to travel on the track, and a transverse partition carried by said carriages and adapted to be locked to the car, substantially as shown and described.

2. A railroad-car provided in its interior with a transverse partition arranged to. be rolled on an overhead roller, and a fixed grate in the clearstory of the car and in alinement with said partition, substantially as shown and described.

8. A railroad-car, provided in its interior with an overhead longitudinally-extending track, a transverse partition movable on said track, and a fixed grate in the clearstory of the car and in alinement'with said partition,

substantially as shown and described.

4. A railroad-car, provided in its interior with an overhead longitudinally-extending track, a transverse partition movable on said track, a fixed grate in the clearstory of the car and in alinement with said partition, and means for locking said partition in position in the car, as set forth.

5. A railroad-car, provided in its interior with a longitudinally-movable transverse partition, and a plurality of fixed transverse grates in the clearstory of the car, and looking devices for said'partition to lock the latter in place in the car and in'alinement with one of said fixed grates, as set forth.

6. Arailroad-car provided in its interior with an overhead track, carriages mounted to travel on said track, a roller journaled in said carriages, a transverse partition attached to said roller, and means for rotating said roller to wind up or unwind the partition, as

set forth.

7. A railroad-car, provided in its interior with an overhead longitudinally-extending track, carriages mounted to travel on said track, a roller journaled in said carriages, and a flexible partition attached to said roller and adapted to be wound thereon and extended therefrom to the bottom of the car, to be locked thereto, substantially as shown and described.

8. A railroad-car, provided in its interior with an overhead longitudinally extending track, carriages mounted to travel on said track, a roller journaled in said carriages, a flexible partition attached to said roller and adapted to be wound thereon and extended therefrom to the bottom of the car,to be locked The device may be located near one end of thereto, a plurality of fixed transverse grates in the clearstory of the car, locking devices forlocking said carriages to one of said grates, and locking devices for locking the lower end of the partition to the carat the time the partitionis in alinement with one of said grates, as set forth.

9. A railroad-car provided in its interior with a transverse partition, an overhead roller to which said partition is connected, a sprocket-wheel at one end of the roller, a

sprocket-chain engaging said roller and extending Within reach of the operator, a ratch-E' et-wheel' on one face of the sprocket-wheel, the free end of said member being bifurcated and a. weighted pawl for engaging said rateh-r and arranged to straddle the lower cross-bar eta-wheel, the said pawl being under the eonof the partition, and a bolt arranged to exe trol of the operator, substantially as'setforth. tend through thegfree end of said member 15 5 10. A'railroad-ear' provided in its interior above the cross -bar, substantially as dewithk an overhead 'longitudinally-extending scribed. 7

tree a transverse. artition movable on'said T track, and locking devices for locking the I HENRX B .lower end of the partition to the car, the said Witnesses: 10 looking devices each comprising a member A. A. SMOOK, I

pivotally connected to the bottom of theear, H. S., KITOHEL. 

